2001 International Comparisons of Hourly Compensation Costs in Manufacturing — 2002-09-27

Average hourly compensation costs in U.S. dollars for production workers in manufacturing in 29 foreign economies declined to 67 percent of the U.S. level in 2001 from 71 percent in 2000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. Compensation costs relative to the United States declined in Canada, Japan, and throughout most of Europe in 2001, with costs in Japan falling below the United States for the first time in three years. Relative costs rose slightly in Mexico and Ireland. In the United States, hourly compensation costs for production workers were $20.32 in 2001, a 3 percent increase from the 2000 level. The U.S. average costs were higher than the trade-weighted average for Europe and for the combined 29 economies, although five European countries had higher hourly compensation costs than did the United States.